Pope makes new statement on war: calls for negotiations, but does not mention "white flag"

Pope Francis has made another statement about Russia's war against Ukraine – he called for the start of peace talks. However, this time the pontiff did not mention the "white flag".

On March 20, the Pope's words were quoted by the official news portal of the Holy See, Vatican News. "This was Pope Francis' latest call to end the wars that have engulfed the world," it said.

Francis emphasized that every effort should be made to start negotiations to end the war.

"Let us never forget that war is always a defeat. We cannot continue the war," he said in his speech the day after the feast of St. Joseph and invited everyone to pray for this intention.

It is worth noting that the Pope's statement referred not only to the war in Ukraine but also to the conflict between Palestine and Israel. He mentioned the peoples who "suffer so much from the horror of war."

Earlier, Pope Francis called for negotiations in Russia's war in Ukraine. He did not say which side, but noted that one of the parties must show "the courage to raise the white flag." After the scandal, the Vatican explained that the pontiff was not referring to Ukraine's surrender, but to the need to start negotiations.

Many world leaders reacted to the pontiff's words. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy advised the pope not to engage in virtual mediation between the victim and the murderer. Meanwhile, Russia claimed that Vladimir Putin had also repeatedly spoken in favor of negotiations and tried to accuse Ukraine of refusing them.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned a representative of the Vatican because of the Pope's statement about the "white flag".

As reported by OBOZ.UA, after the scandal, the Pope said that too many young people are dying to defeat the madness of war, which always leads to defeat. He called for prayer for the population affected by conflicts.

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